Vehicles, such as large aircraft, have complex electrical and electromechanical systems distributed throughout the fuselage, hull, and other components of the vehicle. Such electrical and electromechanical systems require many bundles of wire, cables, connectors, and related fittings to connect the various electrical and electromechanical components of the vehicle. For example, a large aircraft may have over 1000 discrete wire bundles. Often these discrete wire bundles are grouped into assemblies known as wire bundle assembly groups (WBAGs), which may comprise as many as 40 wire bundles and 1000 wires. Individual WBAGs may exceed 90 feet in length. Because of their size, such WBAGs typically are assembled outside of the aircraft, and frequently are assembled in a location remote from the aircraft fuselage in which the wire bundle is to be installed.
Each phase of the fabrication, transportation, and installation of a WBAG in a fuselage requires many man-hours of manual labor. Once the WBAG, which also may be known as a family group, is assembled, it must be transported from the assembly area and installed within the partially completed fuselage of the aircraft for which it was designed. An assembled WBAG is transported from the assembly area to transportation, if needed, such as by truck, to the installation area. At the installation area, the WBAG is manually removed from the transportation and manually carried into the aircraft fuselage.
Long and heavy WBAGs may require a line of as many as 20 installers, each carrying the WBAG over his or her shoulder. Alternatively, the WBAG may be wound on a spool and transported to the installation site. Regardless of the method, at the installation site, the installers snake the WBAG into the fuselage of the aircraft, where it is attached manually to the aircraft, frequently onto the beams comprising the cargo ceiling of the aircraft. Each installer may need to carry as much as 50-70 pounds on their shoulder while carrying the assembled WBAG into the fuselage for attachment. This transportation by the installers may require them to walk up and down stairways, and across a temporary flooring into the fuselage, all while carrying the WBAG on their shoulders.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system for assembling and installing a WBAG, that minimizes manual labor and expedites the installation process.